Longinus didn't know exactly what would happen next,
but he could easily guess—
someone was definitely unhappy about his abrupt removal from the line.
Still, he didn't care.
What he did care about was the intention behind Captain Adkin's summons.
Before long, he was led into a simple, solemn meeting room,
where Adkin—straight-backed and disciplined—was signing documents.
"Reporting!"
"Enter."
"Yes, sir!"
A Marine escorted Longinus inside.
"Captain, the new recruit Longinus has been brought as ordered."
Longinus raised a brow.
Why does this feel like I'm being presented as a criminal?
Adkin suddenly looked up.
A faint ripple of emotion crossed his stern features.
"Just as Rear Admiral Jonathan said…
you really are this young."
"You can go," he said to the escort.
Once the door closed, leaving only the two of them,
Adkin allowed himself a small smile.
"Sit.
I'm sure you're confused.
You're probably wondering—
your achievements shouldn't warrant a Marine captain personally dragging you out of recruitment, right?"
"Indeed," Longinus replied calmly.
"Rear Admiral Jonathan already expressed his stance.
That recognition alone is more than enough reward."
Adkin exhaled.
"Actually… I called you here for two reasons—
one official, one personal."
He clasped his fists tightly.
"Because of my incompetence,
Arix of the Giant Rhino Pirates escaped Marine custody repeatedly.
Several villages were wiped off the map as a result.
Every minute, every second, the guilt eats at me."
"For a moment, I even wanted to abandon my uniform,
become a rogue adventurer,
and assassinate him myself."
He bowed his head slightly.
"So when I heard that you were the one who finally killed him…
I felt something inside me finally settle.
I wanted—privately—to thank you."
Longinus shook his head, his benevolent persona speaking with warmth.
"Someone like Arix—
a brute who spread suffering—
anyone with ability and conscience would have acted."
"I knew you'd say that."
Adkin smiled in approval.
"No wonder the Rear Admiral praised you as a rising light of the Marines."
"Now… we should talk about your future."
"My future?"
Longinus let his expression shift into carefully crafted confusion.
"Yes.
Don't be fooled by the plain name—
the Marine Recruit Training Camp is the cradle of future officers.
Almost every major figure promoted to major or lieutenant commander in recent years came from there."
Adkin spoke with reverence.
"And the chief instructor of that camp…
is former Admiral Black Arm Zephyr—
the hero who captured countless pirates alongside Sengoku and Garp."
"Admiral Zephyr…"
Longinus murmured.
From the memories of his past-life soul, he knew well—
Zephyr was a tragic but righteous titan.
"Zephyr retired eight years ago.
Youngsters like you probably wouldn't know.
But understand this—
if you graduate from that training camp,
you'll be starting as a major, at least.
With your talent…
reaching lieutenant commander or even full commander before twenty is entirely possible."
Longinus nodded, then frowned in calculated hesitation.
"Captain Adkin,
what is your intention in telling me all this?"
Adkin leaned forward.
"Officially and personally—
I want to recommend you for the training camp."
"Stronger power means stronger justice.
Naturally, I want to磨砺 myself as much as possible…
but entering such an elite camp must be extremely difficult."
"Of course," Adkin sighed.
"I'm just a captain—
I can't send you directly to Marine Headquarters."
"We get one hundred recommendation slots every year.
Those hundred are observed over two years.
In the end, only nine earn the right to enter the Headquarters training camp."
"Two years?"
Longinus's eyes lit thoughtfully.
By then, he'd be fourteen.
More than young enough.
"And the two-year delay exists for two reasons," Adkin continued.
"First,"
"To eliminate hidden dangers.
Believe it or not, pirates have infiltrated high-level Marine operations in the past,
causing enormous damage."
"Second,"
"Because the training camp is still relatively new.
Too many factions have their eyes on it—
especially families of fallen heroes who deserve priority consideration."
Longinus nodded again.
Two years was nothing.
Besides, this path would make him a true, core Marine,
unlike latecomer recruits…
a difference akin to permanent employees vs. contract workers.
Seeing Longinus show neither refusal nor arrogance,
Adkin finally relaxed.
He had worried the young prodigy might be hot-blooded
and interpret the "two-year evaluation" as an insult.
But Longinus had exceeded expectations.
"Actually… there's also the matter of the World Government—"
Adkin abruptly stopped, stiffened, then waved it off.
"Ahem.
You probably still have things to do.
I'll have someone show you around the base."
When Longinus stepped out of the meeting room,
his mind sharpened.
So it's because the Marines accidentally produced three monsters—Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan—
and now the Government is getting nervous?
"Perhaps, after some internal bargaining,
Marine Headquarters agreed to give the Government two years of screening rights—
which is why every base must do this preliminary evaluation."
"But the Government clearly underestimated their bottom-tier agents…"
"They didn't expect the infiltrators they pushed into the early training-camp batches…
would be such… trash."
"Hence the massive talent gap between the early and middle generations."
He smirked faintly.
"In other words…
two years from now,
the training camp class might be the first true boom after years of stagnation."
"I wonder if I'll meet someone… entertaining."